


Reply 2017

by yayame



Category: JBJ (Band), NU'EST, Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Flashbacks, M/M, Multi, Romance, Slow Burn, reply!au, seoul 2017, spoilers for things that happened in 2017
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-06 13:55:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14058429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yayame/pseuds/yayame
Summary: In the year 20XX, GQ magazine sits with Kim Jonghyun in a new, all-exclusive interview.orthe reply 1988/1992/1994 inspired fic that I planned.





	1. Episode One: Where It All Began

**Author's Note:**

> spoiler warnings for: Goblin (2016-2017)

INT. - A MODERN LIVING ROOM OVERLOOKING THE SEOUL SKYLINE

The living room has large floor-to-ceiling windows and a monochromatic palette. KIM JONGHYUN, male, late twenties, sits on a leather sectional after setting down two cups of coffee.

INTERVIEWER

                                                                             Thank you for inviting us into your home.

JONGHYUN

                                                                             [laughs softly] Please make yourself at home.

INTERVIEWER

                                                                             Is this your first time on camera?

JONGHYUN

                                                                             ...Is it that obvious? [chuckles] I don’t usually enjoy being in the spotlight. I’ve been told I can

                                                                             be very shy sometimes.

INTERVIEWER

                                                                             You don’t have to be nervous. We promise not to bite.

JONGHYUN

                                                                             Right. Thanks. [laughs] Should we start the interview then?

INTERVIEWER

                                                                             Yes. Of course. I think fans are most curious about your relationship. You’ve known each other

                                                                             for a long time, correct?

**Late January, 2017**

    A shrill bell rang loudly through the hallways, echoing across the school.

    “Alright, class is dismissed for lunch.” Their teacher didn’t give them a second look, striding out of the classroom as the students immediately flipped chairs around and grabbed their cellphones.

    “God, what’s the point of learning English? We live in Seoul. I don’t have plans to move to America. So it’s pointless.”

    “That’s the spirit.”

    “Not all of us can be the school’s top student, Minhyun. Nor do we all have plans to go to Seoul National University.”

    The other student shook his head with a playful scoff. “Seongwoo, if you put in half the effort into your studies that you put into procrastinating, you probably wouldn’t be our class’s worst student.”

    “But then everyone would know what a genius I am and ask me to solve all their problems.” Seongwoo dropped his head on the desk, closing his eyes to block out the winter sun streaming through the classroom windows.

    He huffed out a laugh, digging into his desk to pull out the latest volume in his new manga series.

    “Don’t laugh at me.” Seongwoo mumbled, not bothering to open his eyes. “And stop reading your mangas and socialize. Social interaction is good for mental health, Jonghyun.”

    “Says the guy who’s half asleep.” Minhyun teases, running a hand through his hair. “Is that the newest volume of Attack on Titan?”

    He nodded, already engrossed in the illustrations to pay attention to his friends.

    “Hyung!” A body slammed into him; he startled, looking up to see a wide grin, hearing his friends laugh beside him. He peeked over to see Seongwoo similarly fighting his own battle against a giant.

    He shook his head fondly, “Hi Hyunbin. Hi Daniel.” He nodded at Daniel as he pretty much climbed over Seongwoo, trying to steal one of his gummy candies that he carried around, hidden in his bag.

    “Hyunbin, get off Jonghyun, you’re going to crush him.” Minhyun helped pull the younger junior off of him, straightening his chair before grabbing another seat for Hyunbin to sit in.

    “Sorry, hyung.” Hyunbin grinned apologetically, unwrapping his longs from him to sit in the seat. “I just missed you.”

    “You saw him two hours ago during break.” Seongwoo deadpanned, wrestling the rest of his candy out of Daniel’s hands. “Why didn’t you miss me? Or Minhyun?”

    “Because Jonghyun hyung is the best!” Hyunbin cheerfully announced, dodging Seongwoo’s pencil.

**…**

   

**[SELECT YOUR PLAYER]**

    ONG SEONGWOO: considered himself a genius (and a bit of a male god). He was charming, friendly, precocious, and honestly, a little vain. He moved into the two story house across the street that he always complained was full of distant relatives and family friends when he was six years old and hasn’t moved since. He spent fifty percent of his time procrastinating, twenty-eight percent bothering his friends, thirteen percent concocting wild plans to drag everyone into, six percent daydreaming, and three percent actually trying. Strengths are charm, wits, and an uncanny ability to get his friends on board with his shenanigans. Weaknesses are English and anything remotely related to schoolwork.

    KANG DANIEL: was their group’s mascot. He lived in the second floor condominium above Jonghyun and he was almost always around. He was a year younger than them and his first childhood memory was of Jonghyun buying him gummy bears when he wouldn’t stop crying. He was different from Seongwoo but not that different; he was just as charming and friendly but had the energy of an overgrown puppy. Students flocked to him like he was a messiah, even electing him as class president his freshman year. Strengths: strength, speed, dance, and smiling. Weaknesses: gummy candy, cats, and being mean.

    HWANG MINHYUN: was the definition of _um-chin-ah_. He was smart, handsome, tall, athletic, and well-mannered. He was the kid every parent dreamed their child would be like. However, he was usually one of the first ones to get caught up in Seongwoo’s antics and had a tendency of unintentionally getting himself in trouble. His friends liked to joke that despite his perfect image as the chic valedictorian, he had a streak of lacking common sense. Minhyun grew up in the house next door and their friends probably spent more time at his place than they did in their own homes. Strengths: studying, singing, and cleaning. Weaknesses: common sense and cute things.

    KWON HYUNBIN: often found himself looking down; not in a superior, entitled way, but because he towered over most people, including his older friends. At first glance, he looked cold and chic, similar to Minhyun, but underneath that facade, was a warm-hearted kid who craved attention. He wasn’t actually their friend, originally; he was a classmate of Jonghyun’s younger brother, Donghyuk, who followed them home for a school project and hasn’t left since. He stuck next to Jonghyun like gum and refused to let go. Strengths: height, looking intimidating, English, and athletics. Weaknesses: dance. For further emphasis: **_DANCE_ **.

**…**

    “Are we going to watch the Goblin finale together?” Seongwoo slung his bag over his shoulder, wrapping an arm around Jonghyun’s shoulders as they walked out of their last class. “I need to know that Kim Shin and Ji Eun-Tak are happy together.”

    “Sure, should we order some fried chicken?” Daniel was half a step behind them, trying to stuff his books in his bag without having to take it completely off his back. “Or pizza?”

    Minhyun hummed, stretching his arms as the cold January air hit his face, “Jonghyun, what do you want?”

    He looked up, hands holding onto the straps of his backpack, “We had pizza last time, didn’t we? We should order fried chicken this time.”

    “Cool!” Hyunbin ran up from behind. “Is Minhyun hyung paying this time too?”

    “Doesn’t he always pay?” Seongwoo teased. “So, meet up at around seven?”

    They avoided some of the larger roads, dodging traffic, and navigating through a few old neighborhoods and alleyways

    “I should get nicer friends.” Minhyun mumbled as they turned the corner, walking down a street with painted gates. “But I’ll see you guys in a few hours. I’m going to work on that paper Mr. Lee assigned us.”

    “And I am _not_ going to work on that paper. I’m going to pig out on my couch until it’s seven.” Seongwoo waved goodbye to his friends, walking through one of the gates as everyone walked through the entrance on the other side of the street.

    “Hyunbin, do you want to hang out with me until it’s seven?” Jonghyun politely offered, fishing his key out of his pocket.

    “Yes, hyung!”

    “Eh,” Daniel interrupted. “Stop bothering Jonghyun hyung and go home and do your homework before coming over. I know you’re failing history.”

    “Hyung!”

    “Nope, go!” Daniel pushed the other student out of their gate, playfully slamming the gate door for added effect. He looked over at Minhyun and Jonghyun who were both looking at him with matching amusement. “His mom paid me 25,000 won to make sure he did his homework.”

    Jonghyun and Minhyun glanced at each other before nodding understandingly. “Then, we’ll see you at later?”

    “Yeah. I gotta go pick up Woojin from kindergarten soon and make dinner before coming over.”

    Minhyun smiled warmly, “What a good brother.” He laughed when Daniel playfully swatted him for messing with his hair. “Well, I’m going to work on that paper, I’ll see you soon.” He unlocked his front door, stepping inside the two story cottage with another wave goodbye.

   

**…**

INTERVIEWER

                                                                             Wow, so you grew up in the same neighborhood?

JONGHYUN

                                                                             Yes, we couldn’t get away from each other even if we tried [laughs].

INTERVIEWER

                                                                             Did you ever get sick of each other?

JONGHYUN

                                                                             Yes. More than you can imagine.

**…**

    Jonghyun huddled in the corner of his bed, flipping through the pages of another volume of _Tokyo Ghoul_. He reached over toward his nightstand, grabbing a handful of chips, and blindly moving them in the general direction of his mouth. His eyes raced over each panel, not worrying about the mess he was making in bed as he moved further along in the manga.

    Just as he was about to reach the book’s cliffhanger, a weight dropped on his chest and he choked out a yelp. “What-- Seongwoo! Get off me! You’re too heavy. I can’t breathe!”

    “How rude. I’ll have you know I’m at a perfectly average weight for my age and height.”

    “Not when you’re sitting on my chest!”

    The other male eventually does relent, climbing off of him and taking a seat on the floor. “Jonghyun, I’m bored.”

    He grumbled under his breath, trying to take a few gulps of air before earmarking his place in the manga. “I thought we were meeting later to watch the final episode of Goblin?”

    “We are but it’s not on for another two hours, Jonghyun.” He sighs dramatically, falling back to spread out on Jonghyun’s bedroom floor.

    “Then go bother someone else, I’m reading.”

    “You’re reading a _manga_ . That’s hardly _The Grapes of Wrath_ or _The Great Gatsby_.”

    “I’m surprised you can even name two books.” Daniel walked in with an open bag of chips, spilling the contents into his mouth, not caring for the crumbs inevitably falling on the floor.

    Jonghyun furrowed his eyebrows at his friends, “I need to tell Donghyuk to stop letting you guys in.”

    “You love _us_.” Daniel stresses the last syllable while both him and Seongwoo decide to climb in his bed and suffocate him with their combined weight.

    “Get off me! You both weigh more than me and you’re crushing me right now!” He managed to choke between laughter and suffocation.

    Neither of them do get off, cheekily clinging to him in a group hug.

**…**

    “Hyunbin! What did I say about eating _on_ the furniture?” Minhyun huffs, grabbing the younger male’s arm and pulling him off the couch.

    “Why are you always so mean to me?” He whines back, slumping on the ground.

    “Shush! Eun-Tak is on her way to meet Kim Shin!” Seongwoo waves his arms, eyes glued to the TV.

    “Pass the cola, please.” Jonghyun looks over at Daniel with an empty cup, ignoring Seongwoo’ exaggerated attempts to silence everyone.

    “Here.” Daniel fills his cup, not really paying attention to the screen. “Thanks again hyung for buying us chicken.”

    Minhyun waves him off, shoving a napkin in Hyunbin’s face instead. “I think half of you are only friends with me for the free food.”

    “Your theory is correct.” Seongwoo quips, not bothering to tear his gaze away from the TV.

    He shoves him, telling him to be nice to Minhyun since he was being generous.

    They huddle around the small table full of chicken bones and empty cola bottles, gazes fixated on the television screen as Gong Yoo’s tall figure appears.

    “He’s so handsome!” Seongwoo squeals, grabbing onto Jonghyun’s arm in a tight grasp.

    He groans, trying to shake him off before sighing in defeat. “You say that every time.”

    “Because it’s true. It’s fact. Don’t deny that you find him handsome.”

    Jonghyun ignored his friend, reaching for another drumstick and nibbling at it. “Let go of my arm, it’s starting to fall asleep.”

    Seongwoo does let go, latching onto his next unwilling victim: Minhyun. “I can’t believe they… Who the hell wrote this ending?”

    “Relax, we still have quite a bit of time left of the episode.” Daniel tried to calm Seongwoo’s overdramatic cries as Eun-Tak and Kim Shin met with the grim reaper.

    “They were supposed to be happy, Niel!” He’s inconsolable.

    “They will be! Have faith!”

    “I don’t need you to solve my problems right now, I just need to grieve.”

    Jonghyun rolls his eyes, “Let him be, otherwise this is all we’re going to hear for the next two days.”

    “Let me get through the five stages of grief in peace, Kim Jonghyun.”

    “Do you even know what the five stages of grief are?”

**…**

    By the time they all leave Minhyun’s living room and trudge back to their respective beds, it’s past 1am. Jonghyun slips into his bed, collapsing on worn sheets as he tosses his sweater in the corner of the room, too exhausted to do much else.

    Everyone else seems to follow suit because the next morning, they’re all rushing out their front doors like madmen.

    Seongwoo has obvious bedhead and a piece of toast stuffed in his mouth; his eyes droop tiredly as he runs out of his door, crashing into Jonghyun who’s not faring any better. His school uniform is in disarray and he’s wearing one sock as he tries to zip his bag closed, looking up with wide eyes as they both stare at each other.

    “We’re late!”

    “Mr. Seokhoon is going to kill us!”

    “I can’t afford another detention!” Daniel hops out of his house, struggling to put on one of his sneakers, eyes bleary with sleep. “What are you guys doing? Let’s go!” He grabs both older students by the front of their uniform and begins dragging them toward school. “Where’s Minhyun hyung?”

    “Mr. Valedictorian is probably already at school.” Seongwoo mumbles bitterly, half walking, half sprinting.

    They run into Hyunbin who doesn’t fare any better than the rest of them, stumbling alongside them as they rush towards the school gates.

    “Shit, they’re closing the gates.” Seongwoo halted, staring as the large metal gates of their high school seemed to slam shut.

    “Hyung, I seriously can’t miss another day of school. My mom will kill me!” Daniel whined, staring at the locked gates. “She said she’ll send me back to Busan!”

    “Don’t worry, Niel-ah, we won’t let you go back to Busan.” Jonghyun reassures him, wary of the glint in Seongwoo’s eyes.

**…**

    “This is a bad idea, hyung.” Hyunbin looked incredulously at the older students.

    “This is our only option, Hyunbin.” Seongwoo fires back, staring up at the school walls. “Don’t worry I’ve thought this through. We just scale this wall, climb through the window, and voila, we’re in class, no one gets in detention, and Daniel isn’t sent back to Busan.”

    “The fact that you ‘thought’ this through is what really scares me.” Jonghyun heaves a sigh. “But I also don’t have any other ideas so…”

    “Exactly. Now, Hyunbin, give me a boost up.”

    The youngest whines but clasps his hands, getting into a more secure position as Seongwoo gets ready to climb the wall.

    “What are you four doing?” A hushed voice yells at them.

    All of them look up, heads knocked back to stare up at the window they were about to climb through.

    Minhyun is looking down at them. “You’re late.”

    “Yeah, we know.” Seongwoo snarks. “Help us climb up to the window.”

    “No.”

    “Just do it, Minhyun!”

    “No, you guys should’ve woken up early.”

    “Look here, Mr. Goody Two Shoes, you were a bad friend that didn’t wake us up!”

    “Oh, this is my fault now?”

    The two of them are now arguing outright as the rest of them look on.

    Jonghyun sighs, putting a hand on Seongwoo’s shoulder. “Will both of you shut up? You’re going to get us caught. Now, Minhyun, please help us.” He holds his hands in a prayer, pleading hopefully.

    The other student glances away from his puppy eyes before sighing. “Fine.”

**…**

    “Reach!”

    “I’m trying!” Jonghyun huffs, fingers grazing against Minhyun’s as Hyunbin and Daniel push him up as high as he can. Seongwoo clings to Minhyun, holding him out the window.

    “Hyung, I don’t know how much longer I can hold you up…” Hyunbin whines.

    “Just a little more…” He stretches, trying to get a firm grasp on his friend’s arm.

    “What are you guys doing?”

    The new voice startles everyone that everyone ends up tumbling, crashing on the hard pavement. Jonghyun dusts himself off, holding onto his side as he feels a bruise from where Daniel’s elbow dug in. They all groan, looking up to see Mrs. Kahi standing over them with an unimpressed look. They all lean back in fear, smiling nervously at her.

    “Uh… Exercising?” Daniel flashes their teacher a wry smile.

    She hummed, tapping her foot on the ground. “Don’t think I don’t see you two, Hwang Minhyun, Ong Seongwoo.” She looked up to shoot the other students a sharp look.

    Seongwoo tries to hide between his friend before nervously peeking out with a forced grin. “You look lovely today, Mrs. Kahi.”

    She smiles morosely. “Detention.”

**…**

    They all sit quietly in the empty classroom, sharing a defeated sigh as their teacher looks down at them.

    “Honestly, I expected this from some of you.” Her eyes lingered on Seongwoo the longest. “But, Minhyun, you’re our class’s valedictorian.”

    “I’m very sorry, Mrs. Kahi. I promise something like this won’t happen again.”

    She nodded, “Well, I know some of you are familiar with detention.” This time she stared at both Seongwoo _and_ Daniel. “But for those of you who don’t find yourself here very often, the rules are simple. Be quiet. Stay in your seat. Do your work. And don’t even think about sneaking out.” Now she’s looking at Seongwoo, Daniel, _and_ Hyunbin.

    “Yes, Mrs. Kahi.” They all speak in unison, eyes cast downward in a sign of apology.

    “Well then, I have some things to finish in the office but I’ll be back in one hour to relieve you.” Her heels clacked on the floors as she walked out of the classroom, shutting the door with a definitive click.

**…**

    “This is all your fault.” Minhyun hushes.

    “My fault? Hyunbin was supposed to be lookout!” Seongwoo whispers back.

    “I’m sorry but I was a bit busy trying to hold Jonghyun hyung up to see if any teachers were lurking around.” The youngest defends quietly. “I could’ve been on the lookout if _Daniel_ hyung wasn’t so weak.”

    “Weak? I was tired from holding Seongwoo! Do you know how much he weighs?”

    “Hey!”

    “Children, let’s not fight.” Jonghyun tries to shut everyone up, eyes glancing at the classroom door every so often.

    “None of this would’ve happened if Jonghyun wasn’t so short.” Seongwoo laments bitterly.

    “Okay, you’re barely taller than me!”

    “Uh-huh, how’s the air down there shorty?”

    “Hey, leave Jonghyun hyung alone!” Hyunbin interrupts.

    “Yeah, this was your dumb idea anyway.” Minhyun moves to smack the back of Seongwoo’s head.

    “Dumb idea? I didn’t see anyone else offering any solutions!”

    “Just because it’s the only idea, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.” Daniel sighs.

    “Stay out of this Daniel!”

    “Make me!”

**…**

    They spend the rest of the _week_ in detention.


	2. Episode Two: me-OW!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow!!! thank you so much for all the support! honestly, i was being dumb and wrote this so I didn't think people would respond to it. but I'm so glad people are enjoying it! I'm going to try to update once a week (hahahahahahah I'm terrible at keeping promises and timelines).

       “I’m too beautiful for math.” 

       Everyone groaned while Daniel threw an eraser at Seongwoo’s head. 

       “Math is necessary skill in life.” Minhyun commented lowly, not looking up from his textbook. 

       “Ah yes, because every adult I know uses cosine in their everyday life.” He moved to lie down on Minhyun’s living room floor, rolling around uselessly as the TV streamed a hum of pop music in the background. “What’s the point? Mr. Seokhoon’s going to fail me anyway.”

       “You make it sound like he’s failing you on purpose.” Hyunbin snorts. 

       “He is!”

       “He’s failing you because you haven’t turned in the last five homework assignments.” Jonghyun watched as another idol group came out on stage with perfectly choreographed moves and styled hair. 

       “You’re all failing.” Minhyun grumbled. 

       “Minhyun hyung, how do you solve this one?” Donghyuk looked at the older student with stars in his eyes. 

       “Donghyuk, stop bothering Minhyun. Everyone knows you’re doing well in physics.” Jonghyun chastised his younger brother. 

       “He’s not bothering me.” 

       “Why is it when Donghyuk asks you a question, he’s not bothering you but when I ask a question, it’s ‘annoying’ and ‘it’s four in the morning, Seongwoo, leave me alone.’” He raised his hands to emphasize the air quotes. 

       “I think you answered your own question.” 

       “Besides, look at Donghyuk, he’s adorable. Those Kim genes just make everything seem sweet.” Daniel teased, wiggling his eyebrows before laughing when both brothers smacked him with matching pillows. 

**…**

INT. - A MODERN KITCHEN WITH WHITE MARBLE COUNTERTOPS AND STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES. 

KIM JONGHYUN moves easily around as he begins putting away dishes from the sink. 

JONGHYUN

Sorry, we had a small gathering last night that I haven’t been able to clean up. 

INTERVIEWER

That’s fine. [laughs] You were saying you didn’t think you would end up together?

JONGHYUN

Ah, yes. We were just really different back then, you know? I mean, we were best friends and everything but it was just… We were kids back then. 

INTERVIEWER

They say opposites attract. 

**…**

       “Did you see the way Mr. Seokhoon glared at me today?”

       “He glared at you because you  _ actually  _ snored during his lesson.”

       “I can’t help it that his lessons are  _ so  _ boring.” Seongwoo defended himself, raising his hands in mock innocence. “What did I miss anyway?”

       Jonghyun rolled his eyes at his friend’s nonchalance. “You can borrow my notes later.”

       “You’re the best.” The taller male wrapped an arm around his shoulder, attaching himself to his side while Jonghyun did his best to lean away. “You’re the only man I trust. You taught me how to love again. You taught me how to trust again--”

       Hyunbin cuts him off by detaching Seongwoo. “Hyung, can we get ice cream?”

       “I’m not your mom, Hyunbin.” He mutters exasperatedly before pausing. “But no. You’ll ruin your appetite.”

       “But you let Daniel hyung eat gummy candy.”

       “I don’t  _ let  _ him. He just doesn’t listen to me.”

       “But--”

       “Hey, a kitty!” Daniel immediately crouches in the middle of the street, grinning at a little gray tabby cat hiding behind the dumpster. “Here, kitty, kitty.”

       “Daniel, you’re not getting a cat.” Minhyun tries to stay firm. 

       “But… Kitty.” The animal seems to trust Daniel, climbing into his lap with a soft meow. “She’s so cute!”

       “What should we name her?” Seongwoo kneels down as well. 

       “None of you are getting a cat! Seongwoo, your dad’s allergic to animal hair. Daniel, you already have cats.” 

       “Awww, are you all by yourself, kitty?” Hyunbin scratches behind the animal’s ear, grinning widely when she purrs. 

       “Jonghyun, back me up on this. We’re not letting them get a pet.”

       “...You gotta admit, she’s pretty cute.”

       The look of betrayal on his face is priceless. 

**…**

       “Oh, relax, Minhyun. We’re going to put up flyers around the neighborhood saying we found the cat and someone will come and get her.” Seongwoo patted the top of his head as if that was reassuring.

       “And if no one does?”

       “Then we get to keep the little princess!” 

       “We are not naming her Princess.” Daniel complained, pulling out a small bowl of cat food and water.

       “Then what do you suggest we name her?”

       “...Something funny and cute. Like… Catalie Portman.”

       Hyunbin snorts. “How about Garfield?”

       “She’s not orange.”

       “Catt Damon.”

       “We are not naming the stray. That’s how you get attached.” Minhyun vetoed every idea with a raised eyebrow and a pointed look. 

       “But we have to call her something.” Jonghyun stared at her big blue eyes, smiling when she purred as he pet her head. “We can’t just call her cat.”

       “Why not? She is a cat.”

       “Guys, we have to agree on a name.” Seongwoo whined, cooing when she moved to sit in his lap. “She’s so cuddly.”

       “Come on, Minhyun, help us pick a name.” Hyunbin tried to steal the cat away.

       “That’s hyung, brat.” The valedictorian snapped before sighing heavily. He hung his head for a brief moment before glancing at his friends. “Nala. Like from Lion King.”

       “That’s a good name.” Jonghyun smiled, scratching her ears. 

       “I like it.” Daniel agreed.

       “Me too!” Hyunbin grinned.

       “Alright, then, it’s settled. Nala. What a pretty name for such a pretty cat!” Seongwoo cheered. 

**…**

       “No. I am not housing a fugitive.”

       “She’s not a fugitive.” Jonghyun quietly scolds Minhyun’s cold demeanor to their newly adopted pet. 

       “Well, I still refuse to hide her. Why can’t Daniel take her? He loves cats. Or Seongwoo, this was his idea!”

       “Daniel already has cats so his mom will kill him if he comes home with another and you said so yourself, Seongwoo’s dad is allergic to animal hair.”

       “Hyunbin?”

       “Hyunbin can barely take care of himself, how do you think he’ll be able to take care of another living thing?”

       “But why me?”

       “It’s not just you. We’ll both take care of her and hide her from our parents. We just gotta make sure we don’t get caught. So, whenever your parents are home, she’ll be at my house, and whenever my parents are home, she’ll be at your house. It’s only for a little while, until her owner comes and claims her.”

       The other student pinches the bridge of his nose, peeking at Jonghyun’s big, pleading eyes with a deep sigh. “Three days. I will house the fugitive for three days.”

       “You’re the best Minhyun!”

**…**

       “I agreed to house the cat, not the rest of you.” Minhyun glared at his friends as they sprawled on his bedroom floor, leaving little crumbs of chips on the ground. 

       Everyone pointedly ignores him. 

       “Who’s a furry little princess? You are! Yes, you are!” Seongwoo bopped his nose with the cat’s, squealing when the animal meowed at him. 

       “Where are we with the flyers anyway? Any people calling, looking for their missing cat?” Jonghyun sits cross-legged on Minhyun’s bed, dragging a cat toy lazily on the floor that Daniel snuck over to distract Nala from Seongwoo’s attempts to cuddle her to death. 

       “None yet. Me and Hyunbin were going to put up some more flyers later, maybe expand the radius a bit.” Daniel answers with a warm grin when she jumps into his lap, trying to catch the stuffed mouse. 

       Jonghyun hummed, brightening up when Nala crawled into his lap“Maybe we should put some flyers up at the school?”

       “That’s a good idea, hyung. We can put them on the announcement board near the gym. Surely someone’s bound to know someone who’s looking for their cat.” 

       “Yeah--”

       “Minhyun!” 

       Everyone froze when they heard Minhyun’s mother voice echo down the hallway, footsteps seemingly heavy on the hardwood floors; it was like slow motion that they saw the silver door knob turn. Without missing a beat, Seongwoo threw a blanket over Jonghyun’s lap while Minhyun moved to sit in front of him, trying to hide him behind his figure. 

       “Oh, I didn’t know you guys were here.” Mrs. Hwang smiled warmly, “I was just coming in to let you know that I’m meeting with some friends later so I won’t be home for dinner. Did you want me to order you guys some pizza?” 

       “Yes please!” Daniel batted his eyelashes, grin warm and disarming. 

       Mrs. Hwang smiled back, unable to resist Daniel’s puppy charms (like most people who met him). “Great. I’ll order two large pizzas. It was nice seeing you boys.” She shut the door with a soft click, shuffling away as everyone let out a deep breath.

       “That was close.” Hyunbin muttered. 

       “Too close. We need to find her owner  _ soon _ .”

**…**

       It’s been longer than the initial three days. 

       “My parents are having guests over so you gotta take her tonight.” Minhyun pushes the little tabby cat into his arms, the cat immediately snuggling into his chest with a soft purr. “Oh, sure, you’re nice to Jonghyun.” The valedictorian rolled his eyes at the cat’s cuddly posture. 

       “Why are you so mean to Nala?” Jonghyun hummed, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head with a teasing grin. “She’s been nothing but a lovely guest.”

       “Lovely? Look at what she did to my arm!” He pulls up the sleeve of his sweater to display angry red scratches along his forearm.

       “Awww, maybe we should get her a scratch post.”

       “No, see you’re getting attached--”

       “Hey, hyung.” 

       They looked up when Donghyuk’s voice calls out from the back door; both of them share a look of surprise before Jonghyun hugs Minhyun, hiding the cat between their chests. 

       “Mom wants to know if you did the laundry. Oh, Minhyun hyung!” His brother lights up at the sight of the older student. “Are you coming over for dinner?”

       “Uh, no. Just giving Jonghyun a quick hug to… Wish him luck for tomorrow’s quiz.” He awkwardly chuckles, patting Jonghyun’s back. “Good luck.”

       “T-thanks.” Jonghyun smiles awkwardly back, carefully hiding the kitten in the pocket of his hoodie. 

       “Oh.” Donghyuk sounds disappointed before waving goodbye, heading back into the house. 

       “Great, now I gotta pretend I have a quiz tomorrow.” 

       “I couldn’t think straight.”

       Jonghyun rolls his eyes before shuffling towards the back door, Nala tucked into his hoodie. “Night, Minhyun.”

       “Good night.”

**…**

       “Jonghyun?”

       He looked up from his rice bowl to see his parents sharing a quick glance before looking at him. With his cheeks stuffed full of rice and egg roll, he answered them, “Yes?”

       “You know we love you, right?”

       He swallowed. “Yes? I mean, yeah, I know you guys love me, you’re my parents.”

       “Right… Which is why we’d support you no matter what.” His mother continues.

       “Okay…”

       “So it’s okay if you want to date Minhyun.”

       He chokes on his food, coughing loudly as Donghyuk nonchalantly passes him a glass of water. “W-what?”

       “We’re just saying we’ll fully support whatever choices you make.” His father wears a calm and reassuring expression.

       “And you know we adore Minhyun.” His mother adds with a loving smile. 

       “So, you know, if you want to date him, that’s fine. Just don’t hide it from us anymore, okay?”

       He has to take a deep breath and process everything. “I… I’m sorry… W-what?” He tilts his head in confusion. “I’m not… I’m not dating Minhyun.”

       “There’s no need to be shy, son.”

       “We know you guys have been sneaking out at night and meeting in the backyard. Which is fine. I mean, we understand, young love is exciting but you know, if you guys want to have dates here, that’s fine too.” 

       Jonghyun has a flashback of the last six nights, sneaking out into the shared courtyard that connected their houses together to trade off on who had to house Nala for the night. He had figured his parents were sleeping or at the very least, not paying attention when he snuck out. 

       He opens his mouth before closing it soundlessly, struggling to find his voice. “T-that’s… He’s helping me with a school project.”

       His parents share another look, a secret smile on their lips before nodding (sarcastically). “Oh, okay, then. Well, we’re sorry if we made you uncomfortable.” 

       He eats the rest of his meal in horrid, awkward silence. 

**…**

       “Are you really not dating Minhyun hyung?” Donghyuk strolls into his bedroom, collapsing on his bed with a raised eyebrow.

       “No, I’m not.” He kicks his brother with his foot. “Did you tell mom and dad we were?”

       “Eh, they asked and I told them I saw you guys in the courtyard hugging that one time.”

       “That was--” He pauses, trying to think of an excuse. “That was him wishing me luck on a quiz.”

       Donghyuk hums. “Well, not sure if it matters, but I think Minhyun hyung would make an excellent brother-in-law.”

       “First of all, it doesn’t matter. Second, you're biased because you love Minhyun hyung. And third, get out of my bed. I’m going to sleep.”

       His brother huffs but leaves nonetheless.

**…**

       “We found her owner!” Hyunbin proudly announces at lunch, setting his tray of what the school considers food. “Some lady called and said she’s been looking for her cat for two weeks.”

       “Good, I’m sick of finding cat hair on everything I own.” Minhyun grimaced, making a point to pick another hair off his uniform. 

       “She said she’ll stop by after we’re done with school to pick her up.” Daniel adds, shoveling a spoonful of seaweed soup into his mouth. “And apparently her name is Daisy.”

       “What a boring name for a cat.” Seongwoo laments, stealing one of Jonghyun’s potatoes. “I’m going to miss her.”

       “You barely did anything. Jonghyun and I were the ones who took care of her for the most part.”

       Seongwoo ignores his comment. “Maybe I should get a dog.”

       “Your dad’s still allergic to animal hair.”

       “I’ll just keep it at your house.”

       “Why you--”

**…**

A gray tabby cat climbs into Jonghyun’s lap, followed by a black cat that wraps its body between his legs. 

JONGHYUN

This is Nala [holds up the gray tabby]. And this is Tuxedo [points at the cat between his legs].

Tuxedo walks over to the interviewer before climbing into her lap, making himself comfortable in her lap. 

JONGHYUN

My husband tends to spoil them like they're his children. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed this chapter! this chapter has a lot of 2hyun (but jury's still out on who the husband is because honestly I haven't made up my mind up yet completely). I honestly was surprised by the response for ongbugi (i swear there's more ongbugi in the future, as well as every other ship). I thought hyunbin would be a strong contender but I guess not. 
> 
> anyway, I will be responding to comments s o o n. just wanted to post this chapter before bed. 
> 
> thank you again for all the support! kudos and comments are love! (comments especially inspire me to write WINK WINK)
> 
> also talk to me on twitter: @yaeforall or on tumblr: yaemeus   
> I have like no social life so I'm always on, lol.


	3. Episode Three: [optimushwang has changed the group name to Ong is NOT the boss of us]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol, literally me last week: I'm! Going! To! Update! Weekly! On! Time!  
> later: omg, why did I say that? why did I screw everyone over?
> 
> also me: this is going to be a literary masterpiece; i'm talking tens of thousands of words per chapter.  
> later: this is a crack fic to fulfill my own bugi needs, who am I kidding?
> 
>  
> 
> and of course, obviously not proof-read/edited because I'm lazy af.

       “To the left!”

       “No, a little more to the right!” 

       “Everyone shut up! I can’t concentrate!” 

       Four teenagers gathered around the arcade’s claw machine, staring at the little blue plushie staring mockingly at them as it evaded the silver claws. 

       Daniel leaned forward, peering through the clear glass as he stuck his tongue out in concentration, wetting his lips nervously before pressing the red button to watch the the claws descend on the Wartortle doll.

       It moved. 

       It was lifted.

       It… It…

       It fell back into the pit of other stuffed Pokemon dolls. 

       “Damn.” Seongwoo frowned before pushing Daniel away from the controls. “My turn.” He dug into the pockets for some loose change. He slips another coin into the slot, carefully maneuvering around to hover over the plushie. “You’re about to see the master work his magic.”

       The Wartortle moved again, seemingly caught before it fell through his clutches once more. 

       “I swear to God--” Seongwoo pounded a fist against the glass, glaring at the toy. 

       “Move, it’s my turn now.” Minhyun grabbed the lever, eyes focused as he inched closer and closer to the toy. He studied from each angle, making sure there was no way of escape from it’s clutches; just as he readied to press the button to descend on the prize, his time ran out and the claws reverted back to their original state, leaving the doll behind, untouched. 

       “Ha, too slow, hyung!” Hyunbin jeered teasingly before finally taking his turn; he moved more quickly than everyone else, staring at the prize. He jerked the lever, trying to get the claws to hover over the toy before pressing the red button. They all waited with bated breath, watching the claws clasp over the prize, clutching the toy and moving towards the drop box. 

       So… Close… Just a few more inches and it will fall into the box…

       “Damn it!” 

**…**

       “You guys didn’t have to get me this.” Jonghyun leaned against the headboard of his bed, clutching the newly acquired Wartortle plushie before reaching for a tissue when he felt another sneeze coming. “You guys also shouldn’t be here, I’m still sick.”

       Seongwoo shrugged, “I could use a few days off school.” 

       Minhyun rolled his eyes. “We just wanted to get you a get well soon gift.”

       Jonghyun smiled thankfully, “Well, thank you then.” He coughed, covering his mouth to avoid infecting his friends. “So, do I want to know how much you spent trying to win this from the claw machine?”

       All four of his friends shared a look before awkwardly escaping the bedroom. 

       “I have homework to do.” Seongwoo hollered as he gathered his things.

       “I have to water my cats.” Daniel excused himself, rushing out of the room.

       “My sister is on fire.” Hyunbin tripped over his feet trying to leave.

       “What? Mom? Oh, my mom’s calling me!” Minhyun held up his calculator to his ear, pretending it was his phone. 

       He rolled his eyes with a soft laugh; even if his friends didn’t tell him, he could practically see the numbers written on their faces. 

  * Ong Seongwoo: 32,500won
  * Hwang Minhyun: 29,000won
  * Kang Daniel: 26,800won
  * Kwon Hyunbin: 30,300won



**…**

INTERVIEWER

What’s it like being married to a celebrity?

JONGHYUN

[humming softly] I honestly didn’t think he’d make it [laughs]. Not in a bad way but I’ve known him for so long, 

it’s weird to think the kid I grew up with is this huge star now. 

**…**

**ONGnothongnotgong** : GUYS

**ONGnothongnotgong** : I HAVE AN IDEA

**optimushwang** : oh no

**pockyjr** : oh no

**kittydani** : oh no

**oneandonlyhyunbin** : oh no

**ONGnothongnotgong** : rude.

**ONGnothongnotgong** : all of you. 

**ONGnothongnotgong** : especially you J O N G H Y U N

**ONGnothongnotgong** : you think you’ve got everyone fooled with this innocent “i’m just an onibugi” act

**kittydani** : don’t pick on jonghyun hyung!

**pockyjr:** thank you daniel

**oneandonlyhyunbin** : what’s your idea hyung?

**optimushwang** : no!!! hyunbin!!! 

**ONGnothongnotgong** : oh, right. My brilliant IDEA

**oneandonlyhyunbin:** I’m getting the sense that I shouldn’t have asked. 

**optimushwang:** damnit, hyunbin. 

**ONGnothongnotgong** : a n y w a y, my /idea/ 

**ONGnothongnotgong** : they’re having idol auditions!!! in gangnam!!! 

**pockyjr:** no.

**optimushwang:** no.

**oneandonlyhyunbin:** no. 

**kittydani:** sounds fun!

**ONGnothongnotgong:** thank you daniel

**ONGnothongnotgong:** this wasn’t really a choice

**ONGnothongnotgong:** you’re all going

**optimushwang:** uh, you’re not the boss of us?

**ONGnothongnotgong:** i n t e r e s t i n g

**pockyjr:** not really?

**ONGnothongnotgong:** so i guess then all your parents would be really interested to find out what exactly happened november 13th, 2014

**optimushwang:** you’re a monster

**oneandonlyhyunbin:** we all swore never to talk about that day

**pockyjr:** you can’t blackmail us!

**ONGnothongnotgong:** watch me. 

**ONGnothongnotgong:** auditions are tomorrow so dress accordingly

**optimushwang:** tomorrow’s wednesday

**optimushwang:** we have school??

**optimushwang:** guys????

**…**

       “Why do we always let Seongwoo dictate how to live our lives?” Minhyun glared at the ground as they stood a few blocks away from their house to avoid getting caught by their parents. 

       “He can be very convincing.” Jonghyun answered, kicking a rock around as they waited for the man of the hour to finally show up. “Figures that Seongwoo would be late. This was his idea.” 

       “Do you think he really he would’ve told our parents about…” Daniel coughs awkwardly, looking at the two older students. 

       Jonghyun smiled softly, reassuringly while Minhyun shrugged, “Probably not, otherwise he’d lose the only leverage he has over us.”

       “Oh, you are very wrong if you think that’s the only leverage I have against you guys.” Seongwoo shows up with a black leather jacket and his charming smile. “But glad to see everyone made it!” He swings an arm around Hyunbin’s shoulder. “I can already see it now; all five of us, standing on stage with thousands of fans screaming our name--”

       “Let’s just get this over with.”

**…**

       Gangnam is filled with tall buildings, all shiny and new and  _ intimidating _ . They stand in a long line of other idol hopefuls, assigned individual numbers as the company’s staff explain the process. 

       Jonghyun figures this must be how all other companies prepare auditions as he pins his number to his sweater, staring at the big block digits. Step one, receive your number. Step two, wait till your number is called. Step three, you’re given two minutes to wow the judges. Step four, if you do, they’ll extend the audition to see what other skills you have. 

       They sit on the floor, way in the back since there are still some eighty-odd people auditioning ahead of them. 

       “Hyung, what are you going to do for your audition?” Daniel clings to him, taking a bite of his kimbap as they wait. 

       He freezes; he didn’t think about that part. He just let himself get dragged along. He didn’t think about what happens when his number would finally be called. 

       “I’m obviously going to dance.” Seongwoo brags, rolling his eyes like it’s obvious. “Daniel, you should dance too.”

       The younger male nods. 

       “I’m not going to do anything.” Minhyun shrugs. 

       “What? Really?” Hyunbin looks at him with awe and curiosity as does Jonghyun. 

       “Seongwoo just said we had to go to auditions. He never said we actually had to audition.” 

       “You sly dog.” Seongwoo smirks. “But I respect that. The rest of you have to audition.” 

       “That’s not fair.” He whines, frowning as he took another bite of his own kimbap. 

       “Life’s not fair.” 

**…**

       True to his word, Minhyun stands in front of the judges for his full two minutes before politely bowing and walking off stage. The staff look confused but brush it off by calling him next. Jonghyun takes a deep breath, glancing back at his friends who give him reassuring nods and encouraging smiles; Hyunbin even raises his fist in some sort of nervous solidarity. 

       He walks onto the stage, taking another deep breath before looking at the judges. They stare at him with a cold intensity, calculating looks and pens poised to write his flaws on some sort of official document. It washes over him with a sense of  _ overwhelming _ , of  _ your way over your head _ , of  _ anxiety _ . His breathing becomes shorter and his vision begins to be dotted with black spots while he continues to stare at judging faces. His hand shakes when he tries to reach for someone, to do something; a warm arm wraps around his shoulder, helping him off the stage without another word. 

       When they walk out of the auditorium and back into the hallway, he practically collapses in on himself; his knees give out and he sits on the cold, dirty floor, taking big heaving breaths as he tries to slow his heart. 

       “Hey, breathe with me.” 

       Jonghyun tilts his head ever so slightly, looking up to see Seongwoo taking slow breaths, hand placed over his heart. He nods, matching the way their chests move up and down before finally feeling like he’s actually breathing. 

       “Sorry I made you do this.”

       He shakes his head, opening and closing his mouth a few times before feeling like he can talk again. “You should go back in. Your audition.”

       Seongwoo makes a move to shake his head, probably crack some joke about how he doesn’t need some audition to become a star.

       “Go.”

       They both turn around to see Minhyun towering over them. 

       “We’ll wait here, right, Jonghyun?”

       He nods, peeking at Seongwoo with an encouraging smile before nudging him to go back. 

       The other student pauses, biting his lip before nodding thankfully. 

**…**

       “Wow, I can’t believe Daniel hyung made it!”

       “Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Said student throws Hyunbin an affronted look. 

       “That whole company is corrupt!” Seongwoo pushes himself between both younger students, lamenting loudly as they walked through the streets of Gangnam toward the subway station. 

       “I thought they told you to audition for their acting division?” Jonghyun glanced over curiously, shoulders slumped from the weight of Daniel’s left arm around him. 

       “They did. But I want to  _ dance _ .”

       “This sounds like the beginning of some musical number in a bad teenage off-Broadway show.” Minhyun dryly comments. 

       “They told me to audition for their modeling division.” Hyunbin trots in front of them, jogging backwards to face everyone. “It’s next week; should I do it?”

       “I think it’d be good for you, Hyun. You always liked clothes.” He encourages with a smile. 

       “Yeah, and who knows, maybe you could transfer over to the idol division after you get over those two left feet of yours.” Daniel guffaws at his own joke, dodging Hyunbin’s childish poke. 

       “Please, if anyone is going to transfer over to the idol division, it’s me.” Seongwoo flips his hair. “Also, if anyone was going to be a model, that’s also me. Look at me, I’m God’s greatest creation.” He strikes a pose in the middle of the street. 

       Jonghyun covers his laugh with a polite hand, rolling his eyes. 

       “Excuse me.”

       Everyone pauses, looking over to see a tall man dressed in a smart suit, staring at them curiously. They’re about to apologize for being too loud when the man reaches into his suit pocket, pulling out a business card before smartly strutting over to Minhyun, handing him the small piece of card paper. 

       “Have you ever considered becoming a celebrity?”

       Minhyun’s eyes widen, politely taking the business card. 

       “I work for Pledis Entertainment--”

       Seongwoo squeaks in surprise, grabbing Hyunbin’s arm in excitement. 

       “--If you stop by my office with that card, we can talk about your future as a celebrity.” The man doesn’t spare the rest of them a glance, eyes zeroed in on Minhyun. “I think you’d be a perfect fit for a new group we’re getting ready to debut.” 

       Minhyun blankly nods before politely bowing as the man leaves with another “I hope you seriously consider it and I hope to see you soon.” 

       They all stand still, staring at the embossed card; the professional black typing and the heavy cardstock in awe. 

       “Did Minhyun just get street casted?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how idol auditions go/how people get street cast. 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> there's like a small possibility that i will one day edit/rewrite this fic because i have so many ideas but i'm not doing them justice in fleshing them out. this reply fic deserves better. 
> 
>  
> 
> but also don't hold me to that; i'm very lazy.

**Author's Note:**

> i outlined the story now I just gotta write it, lol. chapters will (probably) vary in length. it kind of follows the writing style of my other story (the playlist of Kim Donghyuk's life) in that (hopefully) it's fun and a bit interactive (hence the "pick your player") so you get to decide who ends up with Jonghyun! choose wisely hahaha. 
> 
> [i do have an idea of who I want the husband to be but if comments want someone else, who knows it might change]
> 
> tumblr: yaemeus  
> twitter: yaeforall


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